Oh holds final press briefing in Yongsan-gu ahead of Wednesday's election
'Opposition fell short, but checks and balances cannot be abandoned'
'Jeong Won-o unqualified, failed even his own supporters'
People Power Party Seoul mayoral candidate Oh Se-hoon apologized Monday for the opposition's shortcomings on the eve of Wednesday's June 3 local elections, while urging voters to keep Seoul as a check on power and calling on his Democratic Party of Korea rival Jeong Won-o to withdraw from the race.
Speaking at his final press briefing near Hyochang Park Station in Yongsan-gu, Oh said he had heard desperate voices across Seoul throughout the campaign — people gripped by resignation that hard work leads nowhere and despair that diligent living yields no hope. "Before assigning blame, I want to first apologize to the citizens," he said. He acknowledged that the opposition had failed to adequately represent public sentiment and that its efforts to restore people's livelihoods had fallen short. "As someone who has stood by the conservative party for a long time, I feel that responsibility deeply and painfully," he added.
Oh said that even acknowledging the opposition's failures, checks and balances could not be abandoned. "If you eliminate the very power to check authority simply because that check has been insufficient, the reasons for those in power to remain humble — and to listen to the people — disappear along with it," he said. He said the country needed a counterweight more urgently than ever to protect freedom and the rule of law, and that counterweight rested in the hands of Seoul's citizens.
Oh said the position of Seoul mayor was not one that a candidate riding solely on a president's coattails could handle, and that Seoul's future could not be entrusted to someone unable to articulate their own policies or more concerned with pleasing those in power than serving citizens. "At this decisive golden moment when Seoul must surge forward as a world-class city, what is needed is a seasoned veteran — someone hardened through countless crises, someone ready to get to work the very day after the election," he said, appealing for support.
"Please leave Seoul — the last line of defense," Oh said. "Make a choice not for any party, but for the country. So that the Republic of Korea does not tilt completely to one side, go to the polls on Wednesday and leave one last safety valve in place," he said.
Turning to Jeong, Oh said his rival had been taken advantage of even by his own supporters during the campaign, having squandered every opportunity for substantive debate. "By kicking away the chance for meaningful, in-depth discussion, he completely failed to convey his mindset, his goals and his vision for Seoul — things he could have communicated to the public," Oh said.
Oh said Seoul, a capital that people around the world admire and nearly revere for its lifestyle, deserved better than a novice still learning the road. "We cannot turn the Seoul Metropolitan Government into a practice course for a novice driver," he said. He added that anyone seeking to run Seoul had an obligation to submit to scrutiny rather than avoid it. "You must be able to create your own arena for verification — only then do you earn the right to be responsible for this city," he said. Oh said labeling every unfavorable disclosure by a rival as a negative attack was simply a fear of being vetted, and called on Jeong to step down immediately. "Jeong Won-o is unqualified and unprepared — withdraw now," he said.
cook@heraldcorp.com
